The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-02-12
Pretty Story About a Mythical Ground

Pretty Story About Mythical Ground
Hog.-The Baltimore American thinks it knows
all about the ground hog and feels so pulled up
about it that it devotes editorial article to the
subject. In the course of its remarks it says
"Towsontown used to be the happy possessor of
ground hog that, on February I'd of every year,
came out on the Court House steps and sat there
for half hour or so searching for his shadow
Year after year the same old joke was published
in the same paper at his expense, and a result,
after bearing it as long as he could, he crawled
back into his burrow, and pulled the burrow in
after him. Death followed by suffocation. When
his body was found his shroud was copy of the
paper that had published the cruel jest about him,
and he had marked one short local paragraph
which contained that ancestral joke that had come
tripping down the ages with all the agility of a
wal-eyed antique in an opera ballet. On it was
written "This caused me to hate my life. Behold
the end"
The facts about this ground hog story are these:
Some years ago the keeper of the Court House
here had peculiar looking cat that often aired
himself upon the stone steps of the building
Upon one occasion ION the I'd of February a rep
resentative of the American came to Towsontown
to observe how the land laid and to see if there
was anything in this ground hog business. He
met good many friends in the course of his wan
behring's and INDUCED in good deal of "corn"
before he reached the Court House. There he saw
this odd looking cat, perched upon thefront steps,
and after cycling the animal cautiously, he slipped
around to side door, entered the building and
finding old Mr.. Henry Kone, who was then in
charge, whispered that he a strange animal
on the front porch, which he thought was ground
hog. Mr.. Kone was strict temperance man and
fond of joke. One whit of the american mans
BREATH and he grasped the situation in an instant.
He escorted the newspaper man to q window,
pointed out the feline, dosing upon the cold stone
steps, and told him that it was ground hog, come
out to look for his shadow, and that he had been
doing the same thing for years. The American
man was delighted with having so easily found a
"reaP' ground hog and going back to the city,
wrote highly colored article on his experience
with the ground hog in Towsontown. Every
year since then the same old story has been re-
vanpe% and old Mr.. Kone shakes his sides with
laughter whenever he thinks of how he fooled
zone of them there smart noospaper fellsrs with
my old mottled cat, all covered with coal dust an
stuff, which he taken fer a groun hog"
-~
Orphans Court.-The following business was
transacted by the Orphans Court for Baltimore
county for the week ending February 10th:
Ordered that the tenth account of William H.
Brown, as guardian to Charles D.. Brown, an
orphan, be passed.
Ordered that the administrator of w. W. Boyer
pay to Samuel Snowden the sum $500, as fee for
services rendered in and about the management
of the estate of said Boyer.
Ordered that John P. Clark be appointed guar
dian to Bessie &. Evans, orphan daughter of Philip
Evans, and offers securities Stephen S. Clark
and John Schwartz in the sum of $40.
Ordered that Charles F. Fusting, surviving ad-
ministrator of Joseph P. Fustng sell by public or
private sale all the personal estate of said deceased
remaining at the death of the widow.
Letters of administration were granted to Lille
Luken on the estate of Julius Luken.
Ordered that James S. Nussear be appointed
guardian to Susan B. Magraw and Mary M. Ma
graw, orphan children of Robert and Mary M.
Magraw, and offers Samuel Ceilings and j. H.
Turner as securities in the sum of 81 200.
Ordered that Arthur V. Milholland and N. C.
Burke, administrators of Andrew Patterson, pay
out of any money in their hands-1st, general
Registers fees and printers charges, $500; I'd
cost in case of John Beveridge, S52.95; total,
$9095.
Ordered that the inventory of the estate of Susan
Algire, by John A. Armacost, administrator, be
accepted also give the required notice to creditors
Ordered that the account of the public sale of
the personal estate of Perry Knight as reported
by Joseph R. Knight, be approved.
Letters of administration were granted to Will
liam A. Burke on the estate of Maria Winterode.
Letters of administration were granted to Fan
ME M. Keen on the estate of Harry G. Keen also
to give notice as required by law to creditors
Ordered that the powers and authority and the
letters of administration of John P. Shriner, in
the estate of Jacob S. Forney, be revoked.
In the matter of the estate of Caleb Carman, the
money having been deposited in the hands of the
Register of Wills, he is authorized to distribute
the same to 43 heirs of Caleb Carman, deceased.
Sudden Death of Wealthy Farmer
Mr.. Samue! Smith Patterson, wealthy bache-
r. e Al IL
his residence, in Long Green Valley, near Bald
win Station, on Saturday night last, in the Goth
year of his age. Mr.. Patterson's health had not
been good for some time, and he went from home
very little. About IL o'clock on Saturday night
he was taken suddenly i'll, and called his servant
man, who slept in the room with him, but before
anything could be done for him he was dead. His
niece, Mrs. Donald Swami, of Baltimore was no.
tifcf., nd came out Sunday morning and had the
body removed to her residence in the city, from
whence the funeral took place on Tuesday. Mr..
Patterson owned one of the most beautiful farms
in the county, with large and handsome buildings
upon it, all of which were kept in splendid order.
He had fancy for fine horses and the stables in
which these were kept had all the modern
veniences and were models of neatness. His farm
was in charge of a white overseer, but the only
persons about the house were colored servants, ex
cept in the summer, when he was visited by his
only sister, Miss Laura Patterson, and his niece.
MIR. Patterson was son Ok the late Edward Pat
terson, Jr., who died in Baltimore only few
months ago. In addition to his fine farm in the
valley he possessed large estate, and his only
heirs are his maiden sister and one niece, Mrs.
Swami who was formerly Miss Sidney Turner,
the daughter OF deceased sister. Mr. Patterson
was the last male member of the family and with
him dies the name, so far his branch of the Pat
tersons is concerned His estate is estimated to be
worth about $4,000, and as he left no will it
will all eventually 60 to Mrs. Swami, as did the
estate of his brother, Edward Patterson, Jr, who
was also very wealthy bachelor.
4
St. Valentines Day.-Monday next, Febru-
airy 18th, is st. Valentines Day, and "Poor
Robins Almanack" refers to the occasion in the
following verses:
"This month bright Phoebus enters Pisces,
The maids will have good store of kisses,
For, always, when the sun comes there,
Valentines Day is drawing near,
And both the men and maids incline,
To chuse them each Valentine;
And if man gets one he loves,
He gives her first pair of gloves;
And, by the way, remember this
To seal the favor with kiss.
This kiss begets more love, and then
That love begets kiss again,
Until this trade the man doth catch,
And then he does propose the match.
The womans willing, though she's shy;
She gives the man this soft reply:
I'll not resolve, one thing or other,
Until first consult my mother
When she says so, it's half grant,
And may be taken for consent"